The digital version will allow users to customise their own advert and itinerary set to the ‘sounds’ of Britain, and Rudimental’s song ‘Feel the Love’. They can also share the result with friends via Facebook and Twitter.

Joss Croft, marketing director at VisitBritain said: “We want to involve people in creating their own British experience – first online where they can become the director of their own bespoke tourism ad, and then in reality following their individual journey across Britain according to their own interests and inspirations.

“This ad is something a little bit different and we hope it conveys the humour and character of a modern, confident Britain.”

If you’re visiting the UK, make sure to include Holiday Cottages in your Great British holiday plan!

VisitBritain is setting its sights on American tourists over the next couple of years.

The national tourism agency has signed a joint marketing deal with one of the largest US travel companies in order to promote travel to the UK.

VisitBritain said the deal with The Travel Corporation was the “largest agreement of its kind for VisitBritain in the US market to date”.

3.5 million travellers from North America visited the UK between December 2012 and November 2013. It hopes the marketing campaign, due to start in February, will help to increase this number to a target of 1 million more US and Canadian visitors a year by 2016.

The main partnership activities will focus on culture, heritage and countryside themes, with multi-channel marketing targeting both the travel agency market and consumers.

Britain is on course for a record inbound tourism spend in 2013, latest figures show.

Results suggest Britain needs £700 million of tourist spend in December 2013 in order to hit a record £20bn total, a sum never before reached in one calendar year.

According to VisitBritain, this will be “highly likely” as the average December spend has been around £1.3bn over the last five years.

It also looks to have been a record breaker in other aspects of tourism, according to Office of National Statistics figures released this week. So far, Britain has already seen full year records broken when only counting counting the 11 months from January to November 2013. These include spend at £19.3 billion compared to £18.6 billion in 2012. 12.02 million holiday visits compared to 12.01 million in 2011; and 4.86 million rest of World visits versus 4.74 million in 2012.

“For 2013 to be the best year in inbound history, we’d need to see a record December for visits, but it’s a certainty we’ll see record levels for spend,” said Sandie Dawe, VisitBritain chief executive.

Christmas is proving to be a good time for domestic tourism as overnight trips this Christmas and New Year will generate £1.9bn for the UK economy.

VisitEngland’s Trip Tracker survey reveals a whopping 20% of adult Brits (10.1m) will make an overnight trip in the UK, with 17% (8.6m) planning the trip in England, generating £1.6bn for England alone.

33.7m people will travel to see friends and family, 18.1m adults plan to go shopping in the sales after Christmas, and 7.5m will take part in other festive activities.

A 7.3% rise in visits to UK attractions took place between 2011 and 2012 according to a new report by international research company researchandmarkets.com.

The increase is mainly down to a rise in attendance at free attractions such as museums and heritage sites, however expenditure on admissions was up almost 14%, but this was due mainly to increased ticket prices.

The report said more amusements were “struggling to keep afloat” as visitors opted instead for free attractions to save money “due to the problematic economic conditions”.

The UK ranks seventh in terms of international tourist arrivals in 2012, with events such as the Royal Wedding, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games increasing the country’s appeal.

“Over the coming years, a return to economic stability should help to encourage consumers to spend more on leisure activities, such as visiting tourist attractions, including both paid-for and free institutions,” said the report.

“Nevertheless, expenditure on admissions to visitor attractions is likely to continue to observe double-digit growth over the next few years, with ticket prices expected to continue to rise, as a result of inflationary increases and market pressures.”

Figures for UK travel and tourism during August have just been released by the Office for National Statistics. Visitor spend was up 9% but compared to 2011, arrivals were down by 5%, leaving the total visits for the year to date at the same level as last year.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games were a huge draw, as 590,000 overseas visitors indicated that they had come to attend ticked events, or were participating or working at the Games themselves. Visitors spent an average of £1,290 (total £760 million), which is almost double the usual amount they would normally be expected to spend.

Sandie Dawe, chief executive at VisitBritain said: “The first six months of the year saw a record in terms of both the number of holiday arrivals and the amount of spend, and with August’s figures we are now at the same level as we were in 2011.

“The extraordinary exposure Britain received during the Games has provided us with an ideal platform to remind people around the world why a visit to Britain is a must, and we are working hard to deliver a strong finish to the year.”

Each year the UK typically welcomes 31 million visitors from across the world. Last year alone, these visitors went on to spend a total of £18 billion. Riding on the success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, VisitBritain has launched a consultation on inbound tourism with the aim of encouraging 40 million visitors by 2020 – a 3% increment year on year.

The strategy for growth includes working with the travel trade to ensure that Britain is appropriately packaged and sold to potential visitors. It also wants to ensure that visitors will find it easy to travel here by addressing the current aviation capacity and visas.

Reaching 40 million visitors would deliver an extra £8.7 billion in foreign exchange earnings at today’s prices, claims VisitBritain, adding that it would also support over 200,000 additional jobs.

Christopher Rodrigues, chairman of VisitBritain, said: “This summer has shown what the country can do when we are united in a common cause. The test now is whether we can maintain this to create wealth and jobs through a major tourism drive.

“This consultation with the industry, the public agencies and multiple Government departments that care about tourism and impact on its success has been designed to identify shared priorities and potential partnerships.”

The consultation runs until 9th November, responses can be made at britainstrategyconsultation@visitbritain.org